Garage Safety 101: What You Need to Know​

The garage is one of the most functional areas in any household. However, it can also be quite dangerous if the contents are hazardous or unsecured.

Take the following precautions to enhance the safety of your garage:

Lock up dangerous materials

Many garages contain hazardous substances that require appropriate storage:

Store them in a safe location, either out of reach of children and pets or inside cabinets.

Inspect the garage door and opener

The door is the most significant moving object in the garage, meaning it requires close attention. Here are a few safety tips:

Some of these tasks can be a DIY project, but it would be better to allow a reliable garage door specialist to perform them. They’ll check the condition of all components and repair them if necessary.

Wear safety gear

Restoration and repairs in the garage involve a lot of risks. Therefore, always wear adequate gear when painting, grinding, welding, and performing other jobs. Some of the items you’ll need are protective clothing, gloves, and goggles.

Store sharp and power tools safely

Unsupervised children may be inclined to play with big power tools in the garage. To eliminate this safety concern, be sure to keep sharp and electrical tools safe so that kids can’t access them.

Locked garage cabinets are generally the best solution. They prevent children from opening them and keep tools safe from theft.

Control carbon monoxide products

Carbon monoxide is a silent killer since it’s odorless and tasteless. Consequently, people don’t realize they’re inhaling it without a high-quality detector.

If you use any machines that operate on this gas, install a robust carbon monoxide detector to determine if it’s forming. Furthermore, improve the airflow in the garage by installing windows or an AC.

Anchor cabinets

Proper garage cabinets enable the owner to stay organized. But they need to have an appropriate load capacity to handle the heavy items stored inside. The best way to verify their load capacity is to consult the manufacturer.

Moreover, cabinets should be well-anchored, whether they’re ceiling or wall-mounted. Unstable cabinets can fall on your car or injure someone.

Prevent fire hazards

The average garage is home to numerous fire hazards, such as fuels, electricals, and chemicals. Vehicles are also a fire hazard, which is why it’s essential to have a fully functional fire extinguisher.

Also, ensure that you extinguish pilot lights (for example, gas water heater) before painting to reduce the risk of an explosion.

Take the necessary steps to keep your garage as a functional and safe space in your home.

The Importance of Lubricating Garage Door Chain

Garage doors open and close every time we push a button—until they don’t. While the doors are built to withstand bad weather and impacts over a long period, they still require maintenance to get them up and running again if something goes wrong.

One of the standard procedures to care for the garage doors is lubricating the door chain. The chain is responsible for pulling the doors open and closing them again. For that reason, it gets a lot of use and wears over time.

Lubricating the garage chain might not seem important now, but it’s better to do it regularly than put it off until it’s too late.

Benefits of lubricating the chain

The garage door chain needs lubrication to perform effectively. Here are the main benefits of periodic maintenance:

What products to use

Most people would usually grab the trusty old WD-40, but it is not a viable replacement for a high-quality chain lubricant. While the water-repellant oil-based formula will remove some rust from the chain, it won’t provide the long-term lubrication it needs to work correctly.

Check the garage door specifications to see if they mention particular lubricants to use on the chain. Otherwise, contact a garage door service. They know the specific models of chains and doors and will provide accurate advice on the best product to use for your chain.

Cleaning the door chain

The first step in the cleaning process is to turn off the power to the garage doors. It prevents the doors from opening by accident while a new coat of lubricant is being applied.
Before applying the lubricant, the chain and surrounding parts need to be cleaned thoroughly for old grease, lubricants, dirt, and rust. Piling more lube on without properly removing the previous application will make the chain more likely to clog or deteriorate faster. Keep old rags at hand, as cleaning old chains can quickly become a messy ordeal. Also, we recommend using eye protection.

Once the chain is cleaned up, apply the lubricant of choice to the entire chain, making sure to cover both sides and ends.
Lastly, plug the power back in and test the garage doors a few times. If there’s still some noise or difficulties opening or closing the doors, use a bit more lube.

Sometimes, the doors might not work, even with adequately lubricated chains. If that’s the case, don’t hesitate to call us to inspect the doors and troubleshoot any problems.

 

 

 

Broken Garage Door Remote?

Is your garage door remote broken?

If the day arrives that you drive up to your garage door and it doesn’t respond to your door remote, we hope that you have the key for your front door, or someone else is home who can open the door for you. In any case, we have created a list of reasons the garage door won’t open or close to help you troubleshoot the possible issues. Here are some tips to help you get your garage door working again:

 

If the remote won’t close the door

 

If you try to use the garage door remote, and nothing moves, but the wall control still functions, it might be an issue with the eye sensors. So long as they’re lined up correctly and are clean, the light on the eye sensor ought to be glowing and not blinking.

If the door closes, but immediately goes back up, it could be a couple of things. The first is that there’s something in the way of the door closing. Another possibility is that the door’s open and close limits are incorrectly set. Your garage door works by identifying when it hits the ground. It will register that there’s a foreign object and stop. To get assistance with calibrating the limits, consult the owner’s manual.

If there’s an extra remote, try using that one too. If it doesn’t work, there are a few more things you can try.

Identify the power plug on the ceiling and investigate if the remote has been unplugged. It’s startlingly simple, and yet so often it is overlooked.

Next, look at the control pad. It may be locked, which will prevent the door from opening. Try unlocking it and see if that fixes the problem.

If only one of the remotes has failed, there are two possibilities. The first is that the battery needs to be replaced. The other is that it needs reprogramming. Since every garage door is programmed differently, you might need to consult your instructions or investigate online programming tips.

Signal interference

Occasionally, LED lights inside the garage can prevent a remote from working. The lights can block the signal from the remote to the antenna. In this situation, you may want to change the light bulbs to CFL. Also available are Genie LED bulbs that work without creating any interference.

Mysterious happenings

If your garage door opens and closes mysteriously without prompting, you might feel like there’s a ghost in your garage, someone else’s remote is on the same frequency, or that burglars have found a way to open the door. Usually, it isn’t as exciting as that. There might be a short circuit. It’s not as enthralling as the other situations, but it’s the most likely to occur.

If your garage door remote doesn’t work anymore, or the door has stopped working, consider these suggestions. If you can’t get your garage door working on your own, call us. We would be more than happy to help.

 

Arizona Garage Door & Repair offers professional, affordable garage door tune-up, repair, and replacement services for Phoenix Valley area residents. Same day and emergency service! Call 602-600-6069 today!

Avoiding Garage Door Injuries

For every home, a garage door serves more purpose than one, making lives easy and convenient. Homeowners often don’t pay heed to the fact that garage doors can be unsafe if not used carefully. The fact that they cause around 30,000 injuries and several casualties every year is enough to consider them as a hazard. A garage door is one of the heftiest moving objects in a home, weighing over a hundred pounds; therefore, it is essential to be conscious of its dangers. Most garage door injuries occur either due to the carelessness and thoughtless actions of the victim or the malfunctioning of the door.

It is vital to not only be aware of the potential dangers posed by a garage door but also the ways to avoid it, helping to ensure the safety of yourself and the family.

Moving garage door

Though modern garage doors come with sensors and other technologically advanced features that make them a lot safer, injuries caused by a lowering garage door are still very prevalent. It can happen when you try to run underneath the garage door while it opens or closes, or some component or feature of the door malfunctions. Either way, it can seriously injure you and the fellow passengers and damage the car.

The best way to avoid it is to stay away and never duck under the door when it operates. Educate family members, especially children, about the operating techniques, precautionary measures, and the potential danger or injury that may occur if they are careless with the garage door. Also, get the door regularly inspected by a garage door service and repair specialist to ensure that all the parts are working.

Fingers getting caught in the sections

It is another common cause of garage door injury, which is easily avoidable. Getting the fingers caught in the tracks is not only painful but can also result in broken bones and amputation, owing to the heavy weight of the door.

To avoid accidental trapping, keep both fingers and toes away from an opening or closing garage door.

Being locked in

A garage door has many components that aid in its smooth operation. If the door’s springs are old, outdated, loose, or cracked, it will lead to total operation failure, leaving you locked in the garage. If you stay stuck for long in an unattached garage, it can cause dehydration and other problems.

Get a professional to regularly inspect the springs and repair or replace them as needed to ensure the springs are in good condition.

Some of the other points that should be kept in mind to avoid injuries

Many garage door injuries can be easily avoided just by being a little cautious. Make sure that the door is installed correctly, and call a professional to carry out regular garage door maintenance.

Signs You Need a Garage Door Repair

In our last blog, we talked about the signs that point toward the need for a new garage door. But, not all garage doors need to be replaced at the first sign of a problem. There are times when you might be able to get away with having the garage door repaired instead of replaced. This is especially true if the garage door has had regular service and maintenance. Here are signs that it may be possible to repair, rather than replace the garage door:

Delayed or poor function

If you hit the garage door remote button, the door should open or close immediately. If there is a delay, or if it hitches during operation (either opening or closing), there’s something wrong. Even if it’s only a slight delay, homeowners generally know how their devices operate and are sensitive to changes. If a homeowner feels the door is lagging, it probably is. A pro can troubleshoot it during maintenance.

The door is off the track

If the door hasn’t been hit or bumped by something, but it’s off the tracks, this is a sign that there is probably something else wrong with it. Garage doors don’t just hop off the tracks for no reason. Call a garage door tech to analyze the problem and make it right.

Excessive noise

It’s a fact that some garage door types are noisier than others, and that an older door will make more noise than a newer door. But, when a garage door starts making an excessive amount of noise, it’s because there is a problem. It could be the spring is getting ready to fail, the opener is under too much pressure, or something else. Have it repaired as soon as you can.

Failed operation

If a garage door doesn’t operate correctly, there is the chance that it will eventually fail. If it fails, that is also a sign that it needs service or repair. Sometimes a door will fail without giving any warning. If this is the case, it could merely be the remote. If it refuses to close, there could be something blocking the door.
The garage door must also pass the safety check you should perform every year to be safe.
The great thing about having a garage door repaired is that it could save you the cost of a replacement, by having whatever component is damaged before it can break the door, itself. While it’s not always possible to repair a garage door, we will always try to fix it before we recommend replacement if it’s reasonable to do so. We understand that you want to get the best value for your money and that if you can get a few more years out of the old garage door and opener, that’s the best option.

Arizona Garage Door & Repair offers professional, affordable garage door tune-up, repair and replacement services for Phoenix Valley area residents. Same day and emergency service! Call 602-600-6069 today!

Causes of Garage Door Misalignment

In our last blog, we talked about maintenance chores for your garage door. But, garage doors are a lot like the front door of your home. It can operate flawlessly for years, but then wear and tear makes it begin to squeak or stick. You determine the door is misaligned and needs attention.

Since a squeaking or staggering garage door doesn’t leak water or appear to be a danger, many homeowners may put up with the problem. But it’s not a good idea, because these are signs all is not well. But, what causes a garage door misalignment in the first place?
But, let’s start with the most frequent causes:

Weather

Weather can hasten the settling of the structure or even affect the door directly. Hot, arid days will dry out the lubricants that make a garage door work smoothly. High winds or other poor weather conditions can beat mercilessly against a garage door. Weather is an excellent reason to keep a garage door well maintained.

Settling

Garages are built to last for the life of the home. But, in the process of aging, the building housing the garage may settle. Settling means that the frame (joists, headers, trusses) may gradually shift. That small shift may be enough to cause a misalignment in the garage door since the garage door and hardware is connected to the frame.

Boxes and Buicks bumping it

As the garage door is often inextricably linked to the use of the car, someone can hit the garage door lightly, and while it still works, it may be slightly out of whack. That someone who ran into it may not be willing to admit it, or may not honestly be aware that they did it.

The other thing is that people keep tools, boxes, and other items in their garages. If a shovel or box falls on the garage door or parts, that could be enough to cause a slight problem.

Mechanical

Since a garage door has many mechanical parts, there could be an issue with a spring, a track, or a jumped cable. The problem with any of these is that attempting to fix one could compromise another, for example, if you’re trying to put a cable back on the drum, sometimes one of the tracks will get bent in the process. It can get jammed so it won’t move at all, and this can happen in any position. When it’s down, it can be a problem if your car is stuck inside, and if it’s up, it can leave the garage contents open to theft. Some people don’t have a front door key or for the door adjoining the garage to the house. If it gets bad enough, the garage can even fall, leaving anyone under it subject to the potential for great bodily harm.

Tracks can degrade and get bent or fill with debris, any of which will result in poor operation. Screws and bolts can come loose or get lost, and any of these can also result in misalignment and necessary repair.

We are always available to the homeowner who needs a repair or maintenance for their garage door. If your garage door is misaligned, give us a call! We can have it working right again in no time.